While the Philadelphia 76ers continue to try and navigate through choppy waters in the 2021-22 season with the Ben Simmons saga ongoing as well as the team missing a lot of pieces due to injury and the protocols, the team is also looking to find an end to the aforementioned Simmons issue.
The Sixers have continued to stay patient on the Simmons front as they have maintained that they will only accept an All-Star level player in return for Simmons, but it also appears that they will look into some other players as well. Guys who are not quite All-Stars, but talented players nonetheless.
While Philadelphia will certainly try and hold out for a guy like Damian Lillard, Bradley Beal, or James Harden as examples, one name has popped up on the Simmons trade front and that guy happens to be a former champion of The Process era.
Per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Sixers are interested in acquiring Detroit Pistons forward Jerami Grant. The veteran out of Syracuse has proven himself to be a solid offensive option in Detroit averaging 21.5 points and 4.6 rebounds in 67 games with the Pistons.
Per Pompey:
League sources have said the team is having ongoing discussions with the Detroit Pistons to acquire Grant, another forward, a young player, and a draft pick in exchange for Simmons. One source said power forward/center Kelly Olynyk and second-year swingman Saddiq Bey were mentioned as players who could be included in a possible deal. However, a source said the Pistons are unlikely to include Bey, a Villanova product, or Olynyk.
A person close to the Sixers said the team would want a more high-profile player than Grant in exchange for Simmons. The source added that the team hasn’t spoken to the Pistons lately.
But multiple sources said they have, and that the discussions were centered around Grant. The Athletic reported Thursday the Sixers have a list of 30 players they’d accept in a Simmons trade.
The Sixers just want to be sure they get good value back in return on a Simmons deal. If they cannot land one of the bigger names, then it might be time to move on to guys who could be helpful, like Grant, despite their names not carrying the weight that the team would like to have.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!